[Pharmwaste] Osorb

Ed Gottlieb egottlieb at cityofithaca.org
Tue Oct 8 10:31:01 EDT 2013


Received a follow-up call and information from ABS Materials as promised.  Sending it along without having reviewed the attached & linked material.
 
Ed



Published Literature on our materials can be found here.

http://www.absmaterials.com/journal-citations

Dr. Yang is the PI on the work with NSF on Osorb Bioswales. I am the business lead on the SBIR programs. Dr. Yang will send you the most recent reports with NSF.

Attached find a cheat sheet with 30-second treatment capacity from projects we have worked on, included are drug compounds of interest to Cleveland Clinic for runoff removal. Also attached is the book chapter Dr. Yang and i wrote for CRC Press, to be published Jan 2014.
 
Stephen Spoonamore <s.spoonamore at absmaterials.com>

/////////////////////


Please find the attached NSF interim research reports on Osorb-enhanced bioretention systems.
The reports include the most recent column testing results and 1-year performance data on field-scale Osorb-enhanced bioretention systems.
The project is still ongoing and we will share more data once it is completed.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding the reports and Mr. Spoonamore will follow up if you have business-related questions.

Thanks,


Hanbae Yang <h.yang at absmaterials.com>

//////////////////////
 

 
 
Ed Gottlieb
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
525 3rd Street
Ithaca, NY  14850
(607) 273-8381
fax: (607) 273-8433
>>> Margret Nellor <margie at nellorenvironmental.com> 10/7/2013 1:22 PM >>>
Having dealt with wastewater treatment vendors, in many cases you end up with a black box they want you to help test so it can be marketed. If this technology has been tested with legitimate third party scientific review, been part of a research project (such a foundation or university sponsored project) and has been the subject of a peer reviewed report, or has been the subject of a refereed journal article - then it sounds like something worth looking into - if not then buyer beware.

Margaret H. Nellor, P.E.
Nellor Environmental Associates, Inc.
4024 Walnut Clay Drive
Austin, TX 78731
512-374-9330 

On Oct 7, 2013, at 11:47 AM, Catherine Zimmer wrote:



Hi Ed and all,
Thanks for following up w/ABS.  My guess is they REALLY want to remove Rx.  Dont we all?  Id be interested in what they say.  I know theyre not the silver bullet, but their perspective would be interesting. 
 
Very truly yours,

Catherine Zimmer, MS, BSMT
Principal
Zimmer Environmental Improvement LLC
Ph: 651.645.7509
 
From: Ed Gottlieb ( mailto:egottlieb at cityofithaca.org ) 
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 11:19 AM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us ; Brian Stenz ( mailto:brian at returnlogistics.com ) ; Catherine Zimmer ( mailto:zenllc at usfamily.net ) 
Subject: Re: [Pharmwaste] Osorb
 
Catherine,
 
Hear, Hear!
 
Out of curiosity, I called ABS materials, the maker of Osorb.  They will send me information to back-up the claims for removal of:

       Nutrients, such as phosphates and nitrates
        Pesticides, such as atrazine
        Pharmaceuticals
        Oils, greases, and household chemicals
        Chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, DCE, VC)       
        Endocrine disruptors
        Pharmaceuticals
        Other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
 
Even while: "Organic matter is not absorbed..."
 
The women who took my call wanted to know the reason for my interest.  After I told her she suggested that they would like to call me back to start a dialog.  
I let her know that their website needed a minor tweak, "Pharmaceuticals" were listed twice (see above.)  They fixed it within the hour!  Whatever the actual quality of their product, I think ABS has top notch outreach / sales technique!  
 
Ed
 

Ed Gottlieb
Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal 
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator 
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
525 3rd Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 273-8381
fax: (607) 273-8433
 

>>> "Catherine Zimmer" <zenllc at usfamily.net> 10/7/2013 11:15 AM >>>
Hi everyone,
 
I am always skeptical of any technology that claims to capture or destroy pharmaceuticals and other pollutants in water.  Most articles Ive read indicate it would take a multitude of technologies, at an extraordinary cost, everything from settling tanks and flocculation to carbon filtration and air stripping to remove all the pollutants from wastewater.  The treatment technologies work based on the chemical structure of the drug.  For example, carbmazepine and diclofenac can be broken down by ozone.  However, iron flocculation has no appreciable effect on removing either drug.  Another issue that is not often addressed is what do the breakdown products look like, they are likely still pollutants and are they biologically active? With activated carbon, some pollutants/rx are removed, but the sites on the filter are easily filled and often break through occurs.  For something like Obsorb, it may work for some pollutants, but wont work for all, and there is the cost issue, this is essentially a silica filtration system that would have to manage millions of gallons of water per day.  And, as we all know, any treatment technology is basically moving the pollutant to another media, e.g. the land or air.  Its the on-going crap shoot of treatment.  
 
So, as you all know, I go back to beating the drum of prevention.  I know its not as financially attractive as selling the gizmo that does magic, but it does magic without much cost.  Prevention of long term chronic illness is a good place to start.  In the UK, where they passed legislation calling on the healthcare sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030, they are doing a complete overhaul of their system and starting with prevention.  By reducing the patients progressing to chronic disease they minimize resource consumption and by extension, GHG.  (Studies indicate 60% of GHG produced in HC are due to products used and disposed.)
 
With the advent of our new healthcare system, I have hope that we will be focusing more on prevention, rather than treatment.  As a matter of fact, the UK has a sustainability division in their NationaL Health Servicelets lobby for something similar at CMS.  And maybe we will finally start to seriously consider non-pharmaceutical treatments rather than just piling on the pharmaceuticals.  It can be done.  I know a number of people who are refusing pharmaceuticals in lieu of alternative medicine, even things so boring as exercise, and they are doing well.  
 
Very truly yours,

Catherine Zimmer, MS, BSMT
Principal
Zimmer Environmental Improvement LLC
Ph: 651.645.7509
 
 
 
From: Ed Gottlieb ( mailto:egottlieb at cityofithaca.org ) 
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 9:24 AM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us ; Brian Stenz ( mailto:brian at returnlogistics.com ) 
Subject: Re: [Pharmwaste] Osorb
 
The correct link is:
http://www.absmaterials.com/stormwater
 
Ed

>>> Brian Stenz <brian at returnlogistics.com> 10/7/2013 10:19 AM >>>
I'd be curious to learn what others think of this new technology for capturing pharmaceuticals and other chemicals in water.

http://www.absmaterials.com/stormwater---
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